Fam's Jam Session

Two-time Olympic steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti grew up on rock and hip hop, but finds that Tibetan prayer chants set his mind in the right place on race day.

May 15, 2009

"My family still makes fun of me for the first trophy I ever won," says Anthony Famiglietti. "It was in a breakdancing contest. I was eight years old."

"My brother is 9 years older than me, and I started listening to everything he was into in the 80s, when I was very young. We listened to a lot of early hip hop - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kraftwerk, Afrika Bambataa – bands like that. That's what I grew up on.

"It wasn't until I was about 12 years old that I I started to discover music on my own. I stayed up past midnight one night in 1991 watching Headbangers Ball on MTV when Nirvana came on. I think it was their first TV appearance at the time. Seeing them play live basically changed everything. I was into rock mostly from then on. Soon after, I purchased my first album, which was Jane's Addiction's Ritual De Lo Habitual."

"Big Hard Sun" (Track 1): "This song just has a great optimistic sound. It's perfect for my long runs."

"Idioteque" (Track 2): "This song and it's album, KID A, are so different than anything else out there. I like this one on longs runs to get the pace going."

"Me I'm Not" (Track 3): "This is a great pre-race song for times when I don't feel like racing at all. It gets me ready to hard charge a race. The sound of it and lyrics are just right – 'Can't stop me, I'm not...!'"

"Three Days" (Track 4):This song is just epic. That is the only way to describe it. The build up into Dave Navarro's solo is perfect for the last 3 miles of a long run in the pouring rain.

"Bittersweet Symphony" (Track 5): "An old one. It's great for a sunny day run, or after you have a bad race. It helps you put things in perspective."

"Sunday Sun" (Track 6): "This song is great for a Sunday long run if you're in a foggy mood."

"Edge of The Ocean" (Track 7): "I hate to say it, but I like this song. It's embarrassing. My wife started playing it before we'd head out to run. It is really optimistic and now it just makes me want to lace up and head outside."

"Representing" (Track 8): "This song has a really unique sound that I like. When I first found this album, To Record Only Water for Ten Days. I listened to it every day for weeks."

"Song to the Siren" (Track 9): "My number 1 pre-race song now. The lyrics and sound make me remember friends I've lost, and gives me a huge sense of purpose and meaning to everything I do."

RW: Do you listen to music while you run? If so, what type of music do you listen to – up tempo stuff, or something more relaxed?

Fam: "I listen to music during a lot of my runs, and before almost every race. A lot of athletes think fast, upbeat music is best before races because it helps during their workouts or long runs. But if you think about it, your heart is usually very low before a workout. You're trying to wake it up and get motivated.

"A race is different because your heart rate is already high, and you might be very anxious or nervous. It's a vastly different scenario than training. When you're about to race, I think it's much more effective to listen to something that will keep you calm, focused, and relaxed. It's even better if you choose a song that will help you visualize what you want to do in the race.

RW: What are some of those songs you listen to when you want to concentrate?

Fam: "Last year during the Olympics in Beijing, I listened to a prayer chant by Tibetan monks. It's called "Prayer for Kala Rupa," and it worked great for me 20 minutes before races. I download just about all my songs from iTunes, and I found it there."

"Now I've switched to a Ravi Shankar piece called Raga Miniature. I think I tend to choose songs like this because they naturally have a calming but energizing sound to them. Songs like these, I guess, were written to tap into something deeper and profound. And that's what I'm trying to do when I run races."

RW: Who are some of your bands or musicians, current or all-time?

"I'm a very big fan of John Frusciante. He's always at the top of my list. He's best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but his he has a massive collection of incredible solo albums. I guess the best way to describe John's style and sound is to say it's an acquired taste. The more you know about his story, personality, and virtuosity, the more you can appreciate his brilliance.

"The other bands I'm into are like John in that they all push the limits of music in new ways. Radiohead is one of my favorites. So is Jane's Addiction. They're currently on tour in the US - the first time in 18 years that they've reunited with all of the original band members. I highly recommend their live show."

RW: Are you a musician, or did you play music growing up? If so, what instrument and how long have you been playing (or played)?

"I played the alto saxophone as a kid, and was in all kinds of bands during school ? marching band, jazz band, you name it. My mom used to try and get me to skip track practice for band practice. I'm glad I went the other way (laughs).

Other songs Fam recommends:

Ravi Shankar: "Raga Miniature"This track is perfect for my race warm up. Somehow this song just hits a chord with me and makes my mind crystal clear and ready to race. I visualize my race unfolding as the song gets faster.

John Fruscinate: "Every Light Will Burn"This is an unreleased track for one of John's early albums. It's extremely hard to find. John is great, in that he saves and doesn't release some of his best songs. Later on you'll hear about them or find them posted by his friends.

The Beatles: "Within You, Without you"My mom bought this album (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) for me. I got into a lot of Beatles stuff in the past few years and this track is one of my favorites. It was one of my pre-race songs for a while.

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